Apparatus and method for drying and restoring wet books
First Claim
Patent Images
1. Apparatus for simultaneously drying and reshaping or restoring printed materials which have become wet, comprising:
- thermally conductive tray means on which the wet materials are placed to be dried and restored;
heating means for gradually applying thermal energy uniformly over the tray means;
thermally conductive separator plate means for placement in parallel relationship to one another between and in contact with predetermined quantities of said materials to separate and support said materials in discrete bundles, said plate means being in contact with said tray means, whereby thermal energy is conducted from the tray means into the plate means and from both the tray means and the plate means into the wet materials;
means for applying a vacuum to said materials while they are supported on said tray means to facilitate removal of moisture from the materials, the magnitude of said vacuum and the amount of thermal energy produced by the heating means being selected so that the wet materials are heated to an equilibrium temperature above the freezing point of water, resulting in evaporation of the moisture from a liquid phase in the materials, whereby the wet materials become plastic and are capable of being reshaped and restored during the drying process; and
means for applying a substantially constant compressive force to the materials during drying thereof to straighten and restore the materials to an undistorted condition.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
This invention relates to an apparatus and method for drying and/or restoring books and other materials which have been wet, wherein the wet and/or distorted materials are placed in a vacuum chamber and subjected to vacuum while being gradually and uniformly heated through the use of heat conductive supports. A compressive force is applied to the materials while they are being heated to straighten and restore the distorted materials.
18 Citations
20 Claims
-
1. Apparatus for simultaneously drying and reshaping or restoring printed materials which have become wet, comprising:
-
thermally conductive tray means on which the wet materials are placed to be dried and restored; heating means for gradually applying thermal energy uniformly over the tray means; thermally conductive separator plate means for placement in parallel relationship to one another between and in contact with predetermined quantities of said materials to separate and support said materials in discrete bundles, said plate means being in contact with said tray means, whereby thermal energy is conducted from the tray means into the plate means and from both the tray means and the plate means into the wet materials; means for applying a vacuum to said materials while they are supported on said tray means to facilitate removal of moisture from the materials, the magnitude of said vacuum and the amount of thermal energy produced by the heating means being selected so that the wet materials are heated to an equilibrium temperature above the freezing point of water, resulting in evaporation of the moisture from a liquid phase in the materials, whereby the wet materials become plastic and are capable of being reshaped and restored during the drying process; and means for applying a substantially constant compressive force to the materials during drying thereof to straighten and restore the materials to an undistorted condition. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
-
9. A method of drying wetted printed materials, comprising the steps of:
-
supporting the materials on heat conductive means, with the printed material stacked in parallel relationship to one another; applying thermal energy to the heat conductive means and thus to the wetted materials to heat the moisture therein to promote vaporization thereof, while at the same time subjecting the materials to a vacuum to reduce the magnitude of temperature required to cause the moisture to vaporize; and maintaining the vacuum pressure above the triple point of water, while maintaining the temperature in the materials below about 120°
F. - View Dependent Claims (20)
-
-
10. A method of restoring printed materials which have become distorted by being wet, comprising the steps of:
-
arranging the sheets of paper in parallel, stacked relationship to one another; applying thermal energy to the sheets of paper to heat the sheets of paper to an elevated temperature to promote vaporization of the moisture therein, while subjecting the sheets of paper to a vacuum to promote vaporization of the moisture at a lower temperature and to conduct moisture away from the sheets of paper; and applying a compressive force to the sheets of paper in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the sheets of paper, while they are being subjected to said heat and vacuum, to straighten the sheets of paper.
-
-
11. In an apparatus for drying printed materials which have become wet, wherein the apparatus includes a vacuum chamber in which the materials may be placed and subjected to a vacuum for promoting evaporation of moisture from the materials, the improvement comprising:
-
heat conductive tray means for supporting a quantity of the materials to be dried; heat conductive separator plate means for placement in spaced apart relationship between adjacent sections of said materials to be dried for separating the materials into separate and discrete quantities and for conducting heat thereto; heat conductive shelf means on which said trays are supported for drying materials on the trays; heating means for gradually applying thermal energy uniformly over the shelf for conduction of the thermal energy through the shelf, trays and plates and into the wet materials to promote evaporation of the moisture from the wet materials, said uniform, low temperature drying producing less stress in the materials than prior art techniques and being selected such that the moisture in the materials passes through a liquid phase during the drying process, resulting in plasticity of the materials; and compression means for application to the wet materials for applying a compressive force thereto during the drying process to straighten and restore the wet materials during the drying process, said compression means comprising one or more elastic cords stretched around the assembled materials, tray and plates.
-
-
12. In an apparatus for drying printed materials which have become wet, wherein the apparatus includes a vacuum chamber in which the materials may be placed and subjected to a vacuum for promoting evaporation of moisture from the materials, the improvement comprising:
-
heat conductive tray means for supporting a quantity of the materials to be dried; heat conductive separator plate means for placement in spaced apart relationship between adjacent sections of said materials to be dried for separating the materials into separate and discrete quantities and for conducting heat thereto; heat conductive shelf means on which said trays are supported for drying materials on the trays; heating means for gradually applying thermal energy uniformly over the shelf for conduction of the thermal energy through the shelf, trays and plates and into the wet materials to promote evaporation of the moisture from the wet materials, said uniform, low temperature drying producing less stress in the materials tan prior art techniques and being selected such that the moisture in the materials passes through a liquid phase during the drying process, resulting in plasticity of the materials; and said shelf means is supported on a movable cart having wheels or similar support means to facilitate transport of the trays from one place to another.
-
-
13. In an apparatus for drying printed materials which have become wet, wherein the apparatus includes a vacuum chamber in which the materials may be placed and subjected to a vacuum for promoting evaporation of moisture from the materials, the improvement comprising:
-
heat conductive tray means for supporting a quantity of the materials to be dried; heat conductive separator plate means for placement in spaced apart relationship between adjacent sections of said materials to be dried for separating the materials into separate and discrete quantities and for conducting heat thereto; heat conductive shelf means on which said trays are supported for drying materials on the trays; heating means for gradually applying thermal energy uniformly over the shelf for conduction of the thermal energy through the shelf, trays and plates and into the wet materials to promote evaporation of the moisture from the wet materials, said uniform, low temperature drying producing less stress in the materials than prior art techniques and being selected such that the moisture in the materials passes through a liquid phase during the drying process, resulting in plasticity of the materials; and said tray means is generally U-shaped, having a bottom wall and opposite end walls, said walls being made of aluminum.
-
Specification